The Kirkus Prize is one of the richest literary awards in the world, with a prize of $50,000 bestowed annually to authors of fiction, nonfiction and young readers’ literature. It was created to celebrate the 81 years of discerning, thoughtful criticism Kirkus Reviews has contributed to both the publishing industry and readers at large. Books that earned the Kirkus Star with publication dates between November 1, 2014, and October 31, 2015 (see FAQ for exceptions), are automatically nominated for the 2015 Kirkus Prize, and the winners will be selected on October 15, 2015, by an esteemed panel composed of nationally respected writers and highly regarded booksellers, librarians and Kirkus critics.

KIRKUS REVIEW

A traditional, uplifting debut romance novel about a widow who finds love again.

Jillian, a real estate agent in Canton, Ohio,lost her husband five years ago and now parents her four sons alone; the youngest child, Brett, never even met his father. Despite this, however, they live a happy and nearly trouble-free life. Into this domestic bliss comes Dan, a wealthy real estate client, who finds himself drawn to the lovely Jillian and her household of happy kids. He eventually wins Jillian’s heart and the respect of her sons; he even becomes a surrogate father to Brett. Author Irwin ups the ante when Dan sweeps Jillian away to his multistory office building and penthouse suite for a night of romance, but readers aren’t privy to the seduction’s details. Later, Dan offers Jillian a job, so she moves her bustling household across the country—but she and Dan must keep their office romance a secret. The rest of the plot vacillates between a sweet, old-fashioned romance and an unusual stop-start plot with little real conflict: Nearly every time there’s tension, it’s resolved in the following chapter. This goes for the final climactic episode as well, in which Dan’s life is in danger and Jillian and her boys must work together to save him. Overall, it’s a story of two people in love, living a relatively stress-free life of domestic bliss, with a couple of surprises thrown in. To say the book is saccharine, however, would be to diminish its real power as a feel-good love story, and although the characters may be a bit flat, it doesn’t make their romance any less compelling. In this age of graphic, explicit literature, it’s comforting to know that a straightforward love story between two uncomplicated people can still warm the heart.

A familiar boy-meets-girl romance with a trouble-free storyline that may find many fans.

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